Andy Markwart

The Andy Markwart Horizon Award, presented by the ACN Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF), is an annual award given to an ACN member who embodies the youthful vigor, energy, passion, dedication, and creativity shown by Andy in his volunteer work for ACN for many years. Andy, the editor of The Furrow, died in 2006 from heart problems.

2025 Andy Markwart Horizon Award Winner Announced!

The Ag Communicators Network (ACN) is proud to announce Courtney Girgis, founder of Rooted Communications, as the recipient of the 2025 Andy Markwart Horizon Award, recognizing her passion, energy, and creative commitment to the future of agricultural communications.

Presented annually in memory of Andy Markwart, former editor of The Furrow, the Horizon Award honors an ACN member who embodies the youthful vigor, leadership and dedication that Andy brought to his work and volunteer service before his untimely passing in 2006.The award is sponsored by the ACN Professional Improvement Foundation (PIF) and Gardner & Gardner Communications.

From an early age, Girgis knew she had a calling to tell agriculture’s story.

“Agriculture has always been part of my life,” she wrote in her award essay. “But I realized early on that not everyone who eats understands or appreciates how—and who—grows their food. It’s been my mission to help tell the stories of agriculture, both to agricultural and non-agricultural audiences, since I was 17.”

That mission has guided Girgis through more than a decade of impactful work, from her early days as a writer and editor at a nonprofit agricultural research institute to launching her own freelance business, Rooted Communications, in 2021.

Through her independent work, she has written for publications and organizations including Successful Farming, FFA New Horizons, Solutions from the Land, Mission: Water, Oklahoma Living and Missouri Farmers Care. Her storytelling blends vivid imagery, compelling writing, and a deep respect for the people and practices behind modern agriculture. Girgis is passionate about bringing readers into unfamiliar places, helping them learn, care and connect.

“I like to weave facts and contextual information into the emotions and stories of the human 2025 ACN Awards Winners pg. 21 July 29, 2025 experience to make readers care, learn and understand the world in new ways,” she shared.

As a freelance communicator, Girgis has also remained a committed and enthusiastic member of ACN. She credits the organization and its members for opening doors, offering mentorship and helping shape her career. She’s attended nearly every Ag Media Summit since 2012 and considers it one of her favorite professional development opportunities.

“I did not know Andy,” she wrote, “but my guess is he would have been among those I would have enjoyed learning from.”

Courtney Girgis joins a distinguished group of past Horizon Award recipients who have demonstrated early-career excellence and a strong trajectory of service and impact. Her work exemplifies the spirit of the award—and the legacy of Andy Markwart—with every story she tells.

2015 – Josh Flint

2014 – Kacey Birchmier

2013 – Christy Couch Lee

2012 – Jennifer Shike

2011 – Mike Deering

2010 – Jeff Caldwell

2009- Joy Carter 

2008 – Corey Geiger

2007- Jamie Cole